Closure for fruit jars and the like



May 7, 1935. R. s. FETTER CLOSURE FOR FRUIT JARS AND THE LIKE' Filed Sept. e, 1955 9 3, G mm g/ a; WWW

Z76 ATTORNEYS Patented May 7, I935 i This invention; relatesto, closures for fruit r and the like andmore rparticulaflyito thazt. type of fruit Jar closure in whichthe ajar' is wmtovide'd with arubber andalglasS carxfistprcssed s the rubberby-a pair of hails which farewpivotaally :secured to the. neck of the mesa as :to'impe the cap downwardly and provide :seaLr In such-fruit :iar closures rasrn'ow made the glass top for the .jartis provided atiits center.

with a; raised boss, inwhich-ia singleznotch-ris' provided, one of: the ibailsmofethei-iclosune. this notch and forcing thev boss and cover downwardly when the .areiimovjeduto their closed position; jHowtever; after :a relatively small distorted .so'ithatptheyzno ,longerxpress" the cap into airstightj c'sealingwengagement with the rubher .ifruiti iar ring and jarsofthat spoilage'of canned fruit isliabletto occur; At ithe saane time it isdesirable to. have the 12.116118315011511 against the centralmart of the-cover. so that the 'coyer is pressed "evenly down iipoxr 'theiu'iiit tar ring at all placesand not isubjecttol'any dis"- It is the object of :thei'present mass to avoid" the "above diificulties "by providing. :a' fmit jar cover having a sboss'atzitseenter and in -which the boss is provided with a'pluralityzoftgroovesiin cruciform mstar arrangement; the grooves being atdiii'crent elevations .so when:therhail is stretchedafter usingiit in "the lowermmt groove, the,.: O 0.ver canbe'lshifited so as to catch'the bail in a higher groove, thereby compensating for the stretch of the bail and insuring a tight seal. It is, also highly important that these grooves be located in a raised boss at the center of the fruit jar cover to insure uniform pressure at all parts of the periphery of the cover where it bears upon the fruit jar ring and it is also desirable to have guide ridges radiating from the central lug for strengthening .the' central boss and which are so arranged as not to interfere with the use of any. groove in eflecting a sealed closure.

Inthe accompanying drawing:

invention and showing the same secured to the top of the fruit jar sure. 1

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the fruit jarshown in Fig. 1. c

Fig. 3.is arvertical central cross section taken on line 3-3, Fig. 2. r r

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 4-4, Fig. 1. g

:rme-rmit jar sinr hawn is.

amount of the bails become stretchedsand Fig. 1 is a, fragmentary side elevationof a fruit I Jar having a cover made in accordance with my by the usual double bail clolonger tightly clamps the fruit 158:5 is 'a top mu view ofa modified formaof iarjcover embodyingmy'hayention. 16 15 a top :pian'fview of airuit' jar embcdyingzzaifm'thm. modifiedform ofi-my invention. i

m e e-smasher .shane having an anm iar external-bead l on its 'mizmwmchah mmmmwar rubberii is 1o arranged-.1; Beloarithezibeaiiitthe neck of the I rruitmi md dmm 7 heads 1-! whichlneceivejavwire :15; T0 opp'o-Q site sides of Tthisswiiemng are vsecured fa pair of messedmetalears 16; each having'a holeadapted l5 to receive'one' ifiad'ofiaivire ii 1,- the wireibafl provider micyeillyand is' so formed 'thatiinthe loop ofiithethail rests-against 2c the sidemfthe rtriut liar :andthe legs beyond-the eyes arranged Jasibest shown in ziinmtaisingitheioopiof the-bail fl the ieyestlyane *brought under and :beyondithe center of'ith'e hole-fiin the Years. if; n U -shaped Ibail' '20 25 extehdsaero'ss ithemoutlfof the' fmi-t jar'an'd its; ends are tnrnedinwm'dly: to. engage :ithe Iieye 1'8 n: flieshail; l7; filh'e. aveman: the fruit jar is mam! made of glass and is tormed' at I was; on ifruit jarring i1.- This 'mv r is :mowizhdam its iimer side with acentral or-elevation 22 against which the bail!!! presses.

'It is apparent vthat when the bail I l is forced; I downwardly againstthe side of the fruit jar, the f bail 20 will be drawn downwardly and: force the cover 2! into sealed engagement with the fruit jar rubber .l3. In so forcing the bail I1 down- 'wardly the 'eye 18 is carried beyond dead center so that the bails I1 and 20 are locked in the posi- 7 40 tion in which they seal .the cover.- Upon lifting the bail :l! the eye I 8 is carried to the-right of. dead center,- as viewed in Fig. 1, and thereafter raises the bail 20. The bail 20, afterbeing raised, can beswungdownwardly against the side of the fruit jar l0 and the fruit jar cover can therefore be. removed.

In fruit jar covers'asnow made a boss is pro vided in the central upper part of the cover and: 7

this boss is provided with a recesswhich receives the center of the bail 20 so as to hold it in proper position whileclan ping down the lowerbail-H.

However,.after being in use. for a short period of time the bail 20v becomesstretched so thatit no w; f T ms? mljgfjmi chm H 1 I spa-mesa i i ligeflpis sectionitalren a=pair of spaced external I jar cover down. 5

boss 22 is provided with one relatively deep groove 23 which extends diametrically across the boss and another relatively shallow groove 24 which extends diametrically across the boss 22 at right angles to the groove 23. In addition radiatingi ridges 25 extend outwardly irom the boss 22, these ridges being of tapering form and merging into the top of the cover adjacent its periphery, these ridges serving to strengthen the top and also serving as a means for guiding the bail 20 up onto the boss and into the corresponding groove 23 or 24, as the bail is swung-upwardly into locking position. In first using the fruit jar the housewife selects the deeper groove 23 and arranges the cover so that this groove is parallel with the bail 20 when it is elevated to its operative position. When, after use, the bail becomes stretched and no longer effects a tight sealof the cover on the fruit jar rubber the housewife. selects the shallower groove 24." In 'using this groovethee'ffective thickness of the cover is increased and hence the stretch of the bail 20 is compensatedfor and a tight seal is efiected by the clamp. The guide ridges 25 are preferably so arranged that the bail 20 bears only on the boss 22and for this purpose the guide ridges 25are inicruciiorm arrangement a and are eight in numberso' aslto provide spaces between them to receivethe sides of the-"bail 20. i In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. the fruit jar cover 2 la is raisediat its center to provide a cruciformelevation 26v the legs of which slant downwardly and outwardly so as to permit the bail 20 being readilyguidedinto thecruciform grooves 21 and 28 which are formed in the cruciform elevation 26. The groove 21 is deeperthan the groove 28and is selected when the fruit jar is new and the shallower groove'28 is selected after the fruit jar has'been used to compensate for'the. stretching of the bail 20 It is apparent that with the form of the invention shown in Fig.5 any number of grooves of difierent elevations can be. employed. In Fig. 6

the fruit jar cover 2lb is provided withla star shaped central elevation' 28b'whichis similar in form to the cruciform elevation 26 in the form of the invention shownin Fig, 5. flIhe star shaped elevation 26b is shown as having six lateral extensions in which are. cutthree radial grooves 29, 30 and 3|, these grooves beingprogressively l swung along the upper shallower. It is apparent that any one of the three grooves can be selected to efiect the desired seal of the fruit jar.

'It is apparent from the foregoing that the present invention provides an improved closure for the common type of fruit jar in which the vertical bail bears on the center of the cover so as to insure uniform sealing against all parts of the usual rubber ring and at the same time permits, by the selection of the groove of different depths, of using the fruit jar indefinitely by compensating for the stretching of the bail which forms a part of the closure.

' I claim as my invention:

-l-.'-A closure for jars having a jar body and a cover fitted over the mouth of said body, comprising a bail pivoted to said body and arranged to be side of said cover, said cover being provided centrally with an integral elevated portion provided on its upper side with grooves-in cruciform arrangement and of different depths and each groove forming 'a seat for the center of said bail and means'for leading the center of said bail up to said elevation comprising at least four ridges in cruciform arrangement and arranged substantially at right angles to said grooves, said ridges radiating from said' elevation and being of. substantially the same height as said elevation at their inner ends and becoming shallower towardltheir outer ends, and said ridges also forming reinforcing ridges for said cover.

2; A closure for jars having a jar body and a .cover fitted over the mouth of said body, compris ing a bail pivoted to said body and arranged to be swung along the .upperside of said cover, said cover being provided centrally with an integral elevated porton provided on its upper. side with grooves in cruciform arrangement and of difierent depths and each groove forming a seat for-the center of said bail and means for leading the center of said bailup to said elevation comprising at least four ridgesin cruciform arrangement and arranged substantially at right angles to said grooves, said ridges radiating from said elevation in line with said grooves, said. ridges being of substantially the same height as said elevation at their inner ends and becoming shallower to- ,ward their outer ends, said ridges also forming reinforcing ribs for said cover and being provided with central longitudinal grooves to permit the b bail to seat in the grooves in said elevation.

' RALPH -S. FETTER. 

